The Parting Glass
by LetsSingtheDoomSong
Summary: The Thieves Guild is no more, but what of her last remaining members? Goodnight and joy be with you all.
1. The Last of Us

Dymond: Alright, I've been playing with this idea and my newfound obsession with Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and annoyed with the fact that there is not 'Thieves Guild' per se. Sure, the assassins are there in full and pirates could _technically_ be called thieves, but where are the good old fashioned 'honest thieves'. So here is my story, yes with several OCs mostly with the captains of a ship I designed in a CAD program that I've affectionately dubbed _Queen Rogue_, a frigate captained by not one, but two people: twins. So let me introduce you to my 'Honest Thieves' Thomas "Tommy" Ryan and Leliana "Lily" Ryan, Irish thieves making their mark on the world of piracy. It will follow Thomas, the brother, in his search for his sister Leliana who was taken to a girl's orphanage while he was dragged to a workhouse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(The Squiggles were not as fierce as Blackbeard unfortunately)

**But since it falls unto my lot/ That I should rise and you should not/ I'll gently rise and I'll softly call/ Good night and joy be with you all.**

_They stood, hand in hand as the day they were born gazing up at the men who had just told them that their father was dead – a workplace accident, they said. The same men who tried to pull them apart and drag them to orphanages with room… separate of each other. "NO!" The girl screamed, wriggling like a fish out of water in the soldier's hands._

"_Lily!" Thomas shouted, holding his small hand out for her._

"_Tommy!" She called back as they wrestled her into a horse-bound carriage._

_Thomas somehow managed to break free of his captors, sprinting as fast as his legs could to the carriage and throwing himself against the side, his hands finding holds in the open windows. Leliana reached through the window and grabbed his wrists, desperate to hold on to her brother. She was crying and according to their now deceased father: No one was allowed to make Leliana cry._

_The men were on him again, dragging him and his twin apart, the carriage starting to move down the cobblestone road. "LILY!" He screamed after the carriage that took his sister away from him._

Thomas Ryan clenched his jaw as the whip came down on his back waking him from his slight blackout, his hands curled into his rough trousers to try and quell with the pain as the leather bit clear through his skin and making him bleed. His dirty blonde curly hair hung in his face, having come undone from its tie and hung just past his neck. 6 lashes was his punishment for refusing to work, for trying to escape 'his duties'. He was already denied 4 meals which did little since the others would take pity on him and feed him their scraps anyhow.

Nearing his 14th summer, he still dreamed of his sister who remained far from him despite his attempts to find her when he would get out of the workhouse. He could still hear her screaming for him to help her when he himself was powerless.

The last lash whipped across his back and he was kicked to the side by the master of the workhouse: a stout man with a rotund belly dressed in what could pass as his 'finest' in Ireland's high society. He wasn't any higher on the chain than a common store owner, but he felt the need to primp and prop himself on a pedestal higher than his station. The materials of his jacket was made of cheap "Get him cleaned up and back to work," He ordered two of the women watching the spectacle of punishment crueler than they had seen before. The lashes he endured were not a punishment given out lightly and Thomas could honestly say he partially deserved it, but regretted it little.

They knelt beside him and helped him to his feet, carrying him to the room designated as the infirmary, crudely made with nurses who couldn't tell a scalpel from a needle. With whiskey and makeshift bandages, they cleaned his back as well as they could before wrapping the bandages around his torso and sending him off to complete his work for that day.

He curled in his bunk that night, lying on his stomach as the lashes stung and bit at his senses reminding him of the crack of the whip. He desperately wanted out of the workhouse. He wanted to reunite with his twin, his other half so to speak and escape Ireland for a better place where no one would split them again. Thomas prayed to God that it would happen.

He jumped when he felt a small finger poke his side to get his attention. Gazing down at the poking offender, he smiled at the small girl that had taken a shine to him, no more than five years old she was. "Emilia," He greeted, scooting over so that she could crawl into his bunk.

Like himself, Emilia was an orphan given to their 'master' to work in the workhouse and be completely at the master's mercy. She had taken a shine to him shortly after she arrived since they both had a camaraderie over the fact that they were both orphans dragged away from their only remaining family: He, his sister Leliana and she, her older sister Kelly.

The poor girl looked flushed and he immediately pressed his hand over her head. Sure enough, she was with fever – a fever that would soon take her from this world from the lack of actual nurses here. He said nothing and curled her into his arms so that she could sleep contently that night hopefully. He had to get out of there and find Leliana.

Before the week was out, Emilia died. A hasty funeral conducted for her before it was back to work as usual, as if that bright, young little girl hadn't just died.

He laid in his bed that night after the funeral, staring at the ceiling for sleep did not come to him. Emilia was gone and no one missed her except him. Leliana could be dead for all he knew. "Psst!" He heard someone whisper He furrowed his brows and sat up, looking around at the other bunks filled with men and women alike. "Psst!" came again and this time, he was directed towards the window. A figure shrouded in shadow was behind the glass, speaking through the small hole punctured through it. He was flabbergasted for a moment when he remembered that their bunks were on the third story of the workhouse, meaning that this person had scaled the wall somehow and was no speaking to him as if it was nothing. "If ye wish ta escape, leave this window unlocked wit'in a fortnight." And with that, the shrouded figure was gone.

From the voice, it was female and Irish like himself, but none he recognized. He stood on his bed and looked out the window, seeing no one there. No shrouded figure running away, no one even walking in the street – it was completely dead. Thomas sat down on his bed again, trying to pinpoint the voice, but still no one came to mind.

But he knew the word 'escape' all too well and decided to leave the window by his bed unlocked from that night on.

He worked without complaint which pleased the master of the workhouse and he was again granted meals with the others, the master believing the lashing finally turned his attitude around. He just didn't know about the shrouded figure that had come to him that night.

He hunched over his work station, polishing shoe after shoe, glancing back at the women making the laces for the shoes, watching the child dart inside the machines to repair something or retrieve something before the machine came back down and crushed them. It horrified him, to say the least at the amount of children who had died here like Emilia, all in relatively unmarked graves and forgotten as the next batch came in. He was lucky enough to survive long enough to be unable to fit inside the machines anymore, so they moved him to a different station.

The day specified came and he smiled at the slight sound of the creaking window opening. The shrouded figure slipped in without a sound, but Thomas already knew she was here. "Come with me," She said, holding out her hand.

He clasped it firmly and allowed her to escort him back through the window. His bare feet touched a brick outcropping, just as hers and she said something that made him think she was trying to assist him in committing suicide. "I need ye to fall backwards."

"Are ye daft?!" He exclaimed, hushed, but loud enough to get his point across.

"Jus' trust me," She reassured. "On the count of t'ree: 1… 2…"

Before she could say three, she used the hand holding his to jerk him back, causing him to fall off the ledge. He couldn't breathe much less scream from the shock, clenching his eyes shut and waiting for the cobblestone to meet his back and kill him, but it never came. Instead, his back landed in a cart filled with hay for horses that often were ridden through the streets with carriages strapped to them. A pair of hands reached out and helped him out of the haybale just as the shrouded figure landed safely where he had just been.

"This way," The shrouded figure said, taking his hand and leading him through a maze of alleyways and streets, purposely avoiding the streets with the night patrolmen out wandering about it.

He came to realize that his hand slotted perfectly in the hand holding his, like it belonged there. He hadn't had that feeling since…

He pulled the hand forcing the shrouded figure to stop. "What is it?" She asked – her face still shrouded in darkness of her dark cloak.

"I may not be that smart, but I'm not stupid," He said. He grabbed her hood and pulled it back before she could stop him. With near gold eyes matching his own and blonde hair long and pulled into a low bun like that of a boy's with a dark red bandana wrapped around her hair to keep it out of her face and skin pale just like his own. Sections of her hair was braided and interwoven with beads, most looking worn down from age. "Lily."

Leliana smiled and threw her arms around her brother's neck, nuzzling his face and slight stubble starting to dot his face with puberty. She spread and quickly said, "We don't have much time. Come, come, this way!" She started to pull again, replacing her hood to cover her face. All the while he had the biggest grin on his face.

All this time he was trying to find his sister and instead it was Leliana who found him. She and the two men with her led him to a storage house, long since put out of use and boarded up, taking him around the back to a door that wasn't boarded. "Welcome," one of the men said, holding the door open for him and Leliana.

There were about a dozen other men and women of varying age and nationality, not just Irish like Leliana and himself. "Lily!" A few greeted.

Thomas tugged on her hand and asked, "What is this place?"

She smiled and said, "Brother, welcome ta the last Thieves Guild."

Thomas demanded answers and Leliana was more than happy to oblige along with the Guild Master who he came to quickly realize that the Guild Master was one of the men who came with Leliana to spring him from the workhouse. He was a lithe Italian who went by the name La Volpe.

"La Volpe is a name passed down from the first La Volpe over 200 years ago during 15th century _Italia_," he explained, sitting down at one of the numerous tables around the area with Leliana and Thomas. "From then our numbers started to dwindle as each nest was cleared out by political leaders. The first La Volpe disappeared, but not before bestowing the name on to another. A ploy to make them believe that La Volpe was immortal and so they would still fear the Thieves Guild. It mattered little."

Thomas furrowed his brow in confusion and looked to Leliana who only jerked her chin at La Volpe. "The largest faction of the Thieves Guild lied in Italy when a group known as the Templars began their purge of the dens. A traitor amongst the ranks had mapped each den and presented it to the Templars for a hefty sum. The reason? Because we were associated with their known enemies: the Assassins. We used our skills to gather information for them. They wiped out almost every thief in those dens. Those that escape fled here, to Ireland."

"And what of the Assassins?"

"They we nowhere to be found during the purge. We called on them for help, but none responded. We severed ties with them and continued on as we did before we signed up to aid the Assassins in their battle against the Templars, only the damage was done and what you see is what is left of the once great, feared and revered Thieves Guild."

La Volpe leaned forward, fingers together and lips curled into a smirk, "So, do you wish to join our ranks, signore?"

Thomas smiled and nodded. "Aye. You've got yerself a member."

La Volpe sat back in his chair slightly relieved at the unhesitant response. "Good. You'll be training with Shanks," He gestured to a black man with dark hair and one eye with a heavy scar going over it leaving it as white as the rest of his eye. The other was a deep brown nearly matching his skin color. He was about as lithe as La Volpe, but taller.

Leliana patted him on the back and said, "Good luck. And I'm glad to see you again."

"Good luck?" He questioned just as the man named Shanks gripped him back the back of the neck and dragged him toward the door.

Thomas learned and, with Shanks, he learned _hard_ often returning from the sessions with various bruises from getting smacked by a person he was trying to pickpocket or falling from misjudging the support of a nook in the wall. Shanks showed little mercy and told him to try again each and every time.

Leliana made it seem effortless, but then again he learned that she had been with the Guild for several years training for the day to be able to spring him from the workhouse. Once his skills improved, he was allowed to go out with Leliana and with her help, the pair became unstoppable and no pocket or safe was out of their reach.

Their joy came from sailing from Ireland to England a few times for a commissioned theft when their ship captain, a member of the Guild named Scavers showed them how to command a ship. Thomas found his niche as did Leliana, taking every job that involved the use of the ship _Hunter Graza,_ a small schooner in comparison to the frigates and galleons that would come through port. With time, Scavers would leave the ship in the care of the twins as he went to rest for a few hours in which he would return to everything running seamless and the twins professional. For a few years this occurred, each getting better and better at navigating and charting stars.

Their days living in bliss were short-lived though when all hell broke loose. Thomas and Leliana shared a bunk, not because of lack of space but because of being separated for so many years, and were sleeping soundly when they were awoken by a loud crash and shouts in English. The shouts of their fellow thieves followed and they immediately went into a panic. Thomas and Leliana hastily threw on clothes and darted down the stairs only to stop dead in their tracks. English soldiers were flooding the area, restraining and arresting several thieves who shouted profanities in their native tongues. Some who broke free were quickly executed by the end of a pistol.

La Volpe didn't resist nor was he restrained. He stood tall and proud as the barrel of a pistol was leveled with his temple. Leliana pressed her hand over her mouth to hold back the scream that wanted to come out when the trigger was pulled and the bullet tore through La Volpe's skull. The man doing the execution wore a symbol on his sleeve that both recognized immediately. "Templ'rs…" Thomas muttered, pulling Leliana back up the stairs.

"We have to get out of here!" She exclaimed, grabbing his hand and yanking him up the stairs. "This way!"

"Ryans!" They heard someone shout and for the first time in years, Thomas was happy to see Shanks standing by the window helping a few other thieves out. "Hurry!" He gestured for the window and like lightning Leliana was out and climbing up the wall to the roof. Thomas followed her, not as agile and nimble but fast enough to not lose sight of her. Shanks was right behind him, finding no one else had come for the escape route.

"What happened?!" Thomas called back to his mentor.

"We were betrayed!"

"By who?"

"Lucia!" Thomas' rage flared. Lucia Márquez was a Spanish thief only slightly younger than himself who was brilliant at what she did and used her portion of the profits to care for her 3 sisters which was a noble goal until she vanished one day. Now they knew where she went: to the Templars.

Leliana, Thomas and Shanks set off on their own after they regrouped. "Where to now?" Leliana asked as they walked the harbor, sticking mostly to the shadows to avoid most of the patrols that were still looking for them.

Thomas shrugged, having no clue where to go. All he had ever known was Ireland and to travel at the age they were (17) was something not entirely unheard of but most people took privateering contracts at their age. Thomas would have no problem getting hired and it would take a bit of convincing to get Shanks aboard, but getting Leliana aboard was a whole other matter. There was no way they could pass her as a boy since she was too feminine in features. They could go look for the _Hunter Graza_, but if Márquez really did turn them all in, then there would be no doubt that they also knew about Scavers and the _Hunter Graza_.

Shanks pulled Leliana in front of him and forced her to sit on a crate in front of him. With deft hands, he undid her bandana and the bun she kept her hair in, retying the bandana under most of her hair and stuffing sections of it in the bandana. The beaded sections went mostly to the side and it was the first time Thomas noticed more beads then she had when they found each other again. Without cutting her hair, he had managed to make her hair look shaggy – like a boy's. Most of the bangs fell into her eyes to shield them from any prying eyes to notice the thick lashes she possessed. The final touch was to smear dirt over her face. Thomas had no idea how Shanks got good at this, but she looked passable as a young boy barely hitting manhood.

"We can try for a privateering contract, we'll just have to keep an extra on Lily," Shanks explained. Thomas nodded and patted Shanks on the shoulder.

"You're a man of surprises. Still 'ave much ta teach us," Thomas said, smiling at his still-mentor.

Shanks cuffed the young lad on the side of the head and lead the way to the docks to track down a captain or even a bo'sun that could take them on. With what money they had in their pockets, they booked a room at a shady place called the Underbelly Tavern which had seen better days. They kept their valuables with them at all times, not taking any chances in trusting the 'good people' of the harbor.

Shanks managed to track down a merchant vessel looking for some able-bodied sailors to strengthen their crew. They all traveled to the docks where Shanks and Thomas did most of the talking, not trusting Leliana's higher pitch tone to disguise her voice properly. When asked why the 'lad wasn't speaking', Thomas quickly said, "He's mute, I'm 'fraid. Drunkard father beat 'im over the 'ead with a bottle. Didn't quite 'eal right in the brain." Thomas could feel Leliana's anger flood through to his very core and he knew he was in for a world of hurt once they got back to their room.

"Shame that," The bo'sun commented looking Leliana over. Thomas was thankful that she was small chested and her clothes covered her breasts easily enough for them to have no need to wrap her chest. "Names?"

Shanks answered first, "Hashan Fynn." The bo'sun wrote down his name then looked to Thomas. He looked to Shanks who raised an eyebrow meaning 'fake name'.

"James Devlin. This is my twin brother Lucas Devlin."

Again, the bo'sun jotted their names down and stood up to shake their hands. "Welcome aboard."

"Where are we headin', sir?" Thomas asked after the firm handshake he received.

"First to Spain, then it's off to Havana."

They left shortly after and Leliana did as Thomas predicted: punched him clear across the jaw. "Mute?! I'm bloody mute now?!" She shouted at him, slamming her fist against across his jaw. The third punch he caught and twisted her arm around to plant her into the nearby wall.

"Calm yerself, sister!"

Her leg came up in a show of flexibility, the heel of her boot hitting his back hard. Shanks grabbed both of them and pulled them apart, Leliana putting up more of a fight to strangle her brother than Thomas was. "Calm. Down," He hissed. When they didn't, he removed his separating arms only to place his hands on the back of their heads and crack their foreheads together.

"Ye're not the one who's supposedly mute!"

"It's better than them doubting your masculinity. In case you haven't noticed, but your voice belongs to no boy. Not even an adolescent boy," Shanks said which made sense but only infuriated her more.

She calmed down eventually, but that was half way through their trip to Havana. They jumped ship once they reached port and weren't missed since the ship set sail again with no alarm that they were missing and no guards looking for them. They signed on again with another merchant vessel trading sugar and tobacco between the islands before they jumped off again in Nassau, now in the hands of pirates.

With the funds they saved and a few profitable heists of neighboring plantations and brief privateering contracts at the ages of 22 (the twins) and 38 (Shanks), they stood on the dock looking out at a frigate anchored within the bay of Nassau. For now she held only 20 carriage-mounted cannons since she was used mostly as an escort ship for the merchants sailing out of Kingston. She was stained black to blend in with the night and sneak up on anyone daring to attack the merchant ships, the sails a dark gray as well to help the invisibility. "What should we call her?" Shanks questioned the twins who shared the title of Captain now and he, their quartermaster.

"Definitely not _Glory Day_!" Thomas said, holding his twin's hand tightly.

Leliana smiled at her brother's detest of the ship's current name that the previous owner had christened it. She opened her mouth and said, "The _Queen Rogue._"

Shanks smiled and clapped Leliana on the back. "A fine name."

The _Queen Rogue _quickly earned a reputation once they assembled a crew and trained them for silence, learning to maneuver the ship to completely take any ship, no matter the size, by surprise, strip them of anything of worth and be gone before any counter attack could be established. Those that spoke of her and her crew and twin captains all spoke of one nickname, "Thieves of the Seas."


	2. Bounty

Dymond: Been working on ridding myself of the habit of using the "&". And here's chapter 2 of The Parting Glass. It's named after the ending song that Anne Bonny sings and I felt it was appropriate since I have most of this played out and the way it ends in my mind works with the song. Also I've learned trying to write the Irish dialect is a bit of a challenge, but a fun one.

Anywho, the first chapter was kind of an introduction to Thomas and Leliana and Thomas joining up with the Thieves Guild before the Templars wipe them out forcing Thomas, Leliana and Shanks to leave and strike out on their own in the Golden Age of Piracy and their purchase of the _Queen Rogue_, a frigate designed for speed and agility, but of course not exactly intended for a pair of thieves to get their hands on.

Review, favorite, etc! Makes this ol' landlubber happy to know her work is being appreciated and makes me write more.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(The squiggles will shiver ye timbers!)

"The Galleon's new," Leliana commented, her hands gripping the helm and steering the ship into the harbor of Nassau.

"Aye. Addin' to the defenses, I reckon," Thomas chipped in, uncrossing his arms and descending the stairs. "Haul in those sails! Drop anchor!" Thomas shouted orders, walking the length of the _Queen Rogue_ as men hurried to obey the orders in a timely fashion. "Get the cargo in the long boat."

Nassau, now in the hands of pirates under the command of Captain Edward Thatch, James Kidd and Captain Benjamin Hornigold, was a haven for them to sell their loot and collect their wealth from it. "I want a full report of gold we earned from this, as usual. Also a full inspection from stem ta stern, port ta starboard. Can't 'ave any surprises," He heard his sister list off, securing the wheel in place.

Shanks nodded and went about shouting orders as specified by the female captain. Thomas picked up another crate of sugar, placing it in the long boat with the first load to shore. They'd have to come back for the rest, but they could leave it in the hands of their crew. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he replaced his dark red bandana around his head to keep his hair back, securing his hair in a low bun as well. Leliana took his arm and smiled, making him smile in return.

Thomas and Leliana went ashore with a handful of their crew, the men setting off to get the loot sold and reales collected and counted.

For now, the twins made their way to the local drinking hole to celebrate their good fortune thus far. They sat down, each with a pint in unison, each taking a long drink and sighing contently as the alcohol buzzed their systems. "Well, well!" They heard a man jest, heavy boots thudding across the wooden floors toward their table. Thomas addressed Captain Hornigold with little interest as he stumbled to their table, Leliana all the same. "So, the Ryan twins grace us with their presence!"

"Aye," Thomas answered and both chorused, "What's it to ye?" Leliana sniggered at the look on Hornigold's face of pure annoyance.

He had disliked the twins due to their avoidance to working with _anyone_, but willing donating a decent sum and supplies to Nassau during its beginning as a Pirate Republic. Topped with the fact that they respected Thatch more than him also added to the list of reasons he disliked the twins. The reasoning behind it was Thatch was the one who figured out that Leliana was a girl in disguise on one of their starting contracts out of Havana. He didn't go to the captain or the bo'sun though, just kept it quiet. The twins still have yet to learn of the reasoning behind it since he only brushes them off when they ask.

Speaking of the devil, Thatch lumbered up with steps uneven from drink and a scowl on his face that seemed to be permanently there. The only time he smiled was at Leliana who forced it out of him. "Thatch!" She greeted getting to her feet and hugging the taller man's neck.

"Aye, aye, get off me, half-bit," He grumbled shoving her off not at all aggressive since she was smaller than him by far.

She sat down beside Thomas so that Thatch could sit down at their table. The Ryan twins had taken a shine to Thatch when they first arrived in Nassau, enjoying the stories he told of his adventures and misadventures. He also was impressed with the hauls they would bring in with no word of a slaughter or a sunken ship anywhere; only rumors of a black ship sailing in and out before anyone was the wiser.

"Your beard's gettin' longer," Thomas commented taking a swig of his rum.

"Aye," He agreed, stroking the scruff growing on his chin that fell almost to his chest now. "Who needs a black flag, when ye have a black beard instead," He jested with a devilish smirk.

Thomas snorted & said, "Pretty sure the only fear ye would cause is from the beasties livin' in tha' rat's nest."

"Shut yer gob, boy!" He retaliated throwing the cork from his bottle at him. Thomas grinned at the older man & decidedly refrained from saying anything else. "From what I hear, you two have more than beasties after ye. Ye've got a bounty set on your heads."

Thomas frowned. "A bounty? Who knows who we are?"

"Don't know. Private party the dossiers say to those who _attempt_ to find ya. Here," He reached into his captain's coat and pulled out a parchment. "This was a contract we found aboard a frigate we took."

Leliana took the missive and looked it over. "2,000,000 reales?" She questioned, handing the parchment to Thomas. "Who the 'ell would pay tha'? For our 'eads?"

Thatch shrugged and took the parchment back. "Anonymous. Causin' trouble for the wrong sort?"

Leliana was about to answer when they were interrupted. "Don't tell me I'm missin' the festivities!" A younger blonde man with sun-tanned skin approached, dressed in a costume most interesting to the twins… and familiar to the two thieves. Thomas remembered La Volpe having robes and armor similar in design and one word was associated with it: Assassins.

"'Ello, Kenway," Thatch greeted gruffly, handing the man a bottle to enjoy. "Don't think ye've met these two. Let me introduce you," He said gesturing to the twins. "Captain Thomas Ryan and Captain Leliana Ryan."

Kenway held his hand out for the two. "Edward Kenway." Thomas reluctantly shook his hand only to be somewhat polite while Leliana glared at him.

"Well met," Thomas said, releasing Edward's hand to replace the hand with his tankard and taking a long drink to calm his nerves. He knew his sister shared his feelings of the Assassin in front of them and held his sister's hand to keep her from stabbing the man.

"Irishmen," Edward noticed, taking a seat next to Thatch while Hornigold leaned against the nearby railing.

"Aye," Leliana answered. "And ye're a Welshman. Glad we've got nationalities out of te way." He nodded conversationally taking drink of his bottle of rum.

He regaled them with a few stories of raids he's done, bragging to his mates, but noting that the Ryan twins cared little for his exploits. His blue eyes examined them, assessing and classifying the two just as they were. Thomas reckoned he was looking at a puckish rogue with no care for a cause except for the gold in it for him. Definitely not much for an Assassin.

"So," Edward started, his eyes set on Leliana. "What's a nice lass like you doing amongst these cutthroats?"

She smirked in mild arrogance and defiance that Thomas knew too well and mirrored on occasion. "Ye mean 'wha's a lass like me doin' 'ere instead of raisin' a family?' Easy." She pointed out to the _Queen Rogue_ out in the bay. "I capt'n that ship. 'M not tha' nice. And these monkehs are me family." Thomas stifled a laugh while Edward nodded his head in understanding. She smacked his chest and said, "An' this 'ere idiot is me twin brother. Where he goes, I go." He elbowed her in return for the smack.

"And likewise," Thomas added.

"Twins through and through."

Thomas squeezed his sister's hand and pointed toward Shanks approaching their group, stopping just outside of the area. "Looks like we're off, boys," He stated, standing up. "Be seein' ya, Kenway."

Edward raised his bottle a little in agreement and took a swig. "Lily," Thomas muttered and she nodded.

"I don't t'ink 'e's an assassin. They're more disciplined than this."

Thomas nodded. Shanks joined up with them and followed them back to the _Queen Rogue_ relaying the information that he had accumulated. Thomas was thankful that the ship wouldn't need a good keeling for a while yet and the barnacles seen were scraped off already, everything else was in great condition still for a few more voyages at sea before any replacements would be needed. They accumulated a small fortune in profits from the sold loot enough to last them a while and they received payment from their commissioner for the Spanish brig they robbed of the desired item to be sent back to the commissioner. A good haul for sure. "Quite a bit of gold there."

The twins stopped walking and turned to face Edward Kenway who was starting to be a thorn in their side. "Wha's it to ye?" Thomas asked glaring at the Welsh captain.

"Nothing. I was just curious of why I deserved your glares earlier. Have I rubbed ye wrong somehow?"

Leliana scoffed loud enough for him to hear. "'Rubbed us wrong'? Kenway, ya do know the armor ya wear, right?"

He shrugged and said, "I know it belonged to an assassin named Duncan Walpole when I pulled 'em off his corpse. Yet you seem to recognize it. I didn't think you knew about the Assassins or Templars."

"Oh, we know," Thomas said, taking over. He could feel his anger rising on the topic of the Assassins and Templars. "We know the Assassins an' Templ'rs well. The Templ'rs: who ransacked our dens an' slaughtered all inside. The Assassins: who we thought we could call our allies only ta 'ave 'em turn their backs on us an' leave us ta die. Aye, we know them well."

"You're not assassins?"

"No."

"Then what are you?"

Leliana snorted in amusement and turned her back to Kenway. "Why don't ye ask Kidd? He knows." Thomas and Shanks followed Leliana, leaving Kenway there on the dock as they made for the long boat to return to their ship.

* * *

Within the hour, they were resupplied again and on their way out to sea to collect more prizes. Thomas handed the spyglass to his twin on the helm, who handed it over to Leliana to look through herself. "20 degrees to the south. See it?" He asked.

"Aye. Brig," She confirmed, gazing out at the English brig sailing tailed by two gunboats which would prove to be little but a distraction. She glanced at the sun quick to see it about to dip below the horizon in a beautiful sunset: their time to play. "Ready the cannons! Only main sails! We're takin' this prize, boys!" She shouted storing the spyglass in one of the pockets of her long coat. Shanks moved the length of the ship, watching like a hawk as the men prepared the cannons for emergency purposes such as the alarm being sounded, but they rarely had to use it.

The sun disappeared over the horizon and they were upon the ship before anyone was the wiser, securing lines to her railings. Ditching their long coats, they pulled their hoods over their heads, slipping aboard undetected as a few of their men silenced the night watchmen without killing them. Two others made it to the bell & disabled it, tossing the hammer over the of the ship. The men slipped below deck, securing the crew while they slept, tying them to their hammocks and making for the cargo hold while Leliana and Thomas made for the captain's cabin.

The captain was still sound asleep, unaware of the crew that had just taken his ship in the dead of night. He awoke at last when Leliana straddled him much like a lover, but with his arms secured at his sides and a blade to his throat. "Good evening, deary," She greeted with a smile, taunting and cheery at their take. The captain started to hyperventilate, spouting off any sort of money amounts to get them to let him live. "Calm yerself before ye piss yerself," She advised.

Thomas pulled open the drawers of his desk, pulling out various maps and contracts the man had in his possession. He opened a nearby chest and grinned at the gold inside, banging on the wall to alert their men of the prize they found. Two of the crew entered and carried the chest out with the rest of the stolen cargo. "You'll be hanged, cutthroats!" The captain spat at Leliana who only smirked in response. Her gold eyes flashed dangerously as the knife slit a thin crease in his neck drawing blood.

"I'd like to see them try."

Thomas picked up one document in particular and his brows furrowed at the same wording of the missive Thatch showed them. Only this one held a symbol at the bottom that the Ryan twins knew too well. "Tommy?" Leliana questioned, her brother's confused look having not gone unnoticed.

He handed the document to her while she still held the captain in place with the knife at his throat. She took the document and read it over, her look matching Thomas'. "Templ'rs… Jaysus Christ, the caught up to us. This is a trap!" She gasped glaring down at her captive whose eyes were wide and frantic. She slit his throat with little effort and jumped off the bed. "Dammit! Get off the ship!" She shouted, but it was too late.

Cannon fire echoed off in the distance and the cannonballs pierced the hull of the ship blowing holes through the room they stood in. They burst out of the captain's cabin on to the deck. "They aim ta sink us 'ere an' now! Get back ta the _Rogue_!" Thomas shouted over the barrage of cannonballs.

He grabbed Leliana's hand and the two sprinted across the deck, dodging their crew and the crew of the ship they took. They leapt over the railing and on to the deck of their own ship, sprinting for the helm. Shanks stepped aside as Thomas took the helm Leliana briskly walking the main deck yelling for all cannons to be prepped to 'blow them bastards to 'ell!'

They cut the lines to the ship they pillaged and dropped the sails catching the wind instantly. Thomas banked hard to port, attempting to outrun the bounty hunters tailing them with sails red as blood to show their intent. "Full sail! Let's go! Catch the wind and get the hell out of 'ere!" Leliana shouted as she ascended the stairs to the helm. "Think we can lose 'em?"

"They're too close. We'd need a miracle," he answered, glancing back at the Templar-hired bounty hunters on their tail.

"Load the mortars and drop fire barrels!" Leliana ordered gripping the stern railing as the mortars to her left and right were loaded. "Fire!"

She flinched only slightly as the mortars launched their ammunition; the balls breaking into several large chunks and raining hellfire on the ship chasing them. Thomas ducked as a cannonball came whizzing past his head and clipping the railing as it flew past the ship into the water. "That was too close!" He exclaimed looking back again seeing Leliana help prep the mortars for more shells to be launched. "Hurry up!"

"We're workin' on it! Fire!" She ordered stepping back from the mortars just as the men pressed the wicks to the Touch-Holes.

Another set of cannon fire joined the fray and the side of the bounty hunter ship was peppered with cannonballs. "Who in the-" Leliana's exclamation was cut off as the _Jackdaw_ came into view, cannon fire visible and cannonballs tearing the brig a new one.

"Bloody 'ell, 'as he been followin' us?" Thomas questioned his gaze fixated on the ship now saving their hides.

"It appears so, Tommy."

Thomas cursed under his breath realizing that now they owed Kenway for their lives, as much as he would rather just sink and be taken by Davy Jones' locker. He watched as the brig was crippled & rammed by the _Jackdaw_, causing her to sink. "Bring 'er about," Leliana grumbled. "Let's see wha' this buffoon wants." Thomas shared her idea. "Furl the sails!

The _Jackdaw_ came to a near stop broadside the _Queen Rogue_, her crew tossing over lines to secure them together. Looking smug, Edward boarded greeting the captains with a smirk and a cheery hello. "What do ye want, Kenway?" Thomas demanded.

He held his hands up, "Peace, Thomas. I came with an offer that even you can't refuse." The twins glanced at each other before giving him a nod to continue. "What do you know of a man named Prins?"

"Slaver," Thomas answered straight away. "We've… 'liberated' a few of 'is ships. Some of 'is former slaves are part of our crew. Why?"

"I know you are the remnants of the Thieves Guild. Perhaps it's time to put your differences aside & work together again?" He implied the Assassins without actually saying their name.

"Kenway, in case ye haven't noticed, we're but three members now."

"And what if I said it was Prins who took Márquez to the Grand Master with your location?"

Thomas & Leliana perked up at that. "If we help ye take down Prins, we'll be able to find Márquez?"

"Aye. Should be able to."

Leliana gave Thomas a look that clearly said she was thinking about Kenway's offer. Thomas crossed his arms and said, "A'ight, we'll lend an 'and. But only because we owe ye our 'ides."

"In three weeks' time I was told to meet at Prins' plantation. At the windmill. See you there." With that Kenway hopped back over to the _Jackdaw_ and started shouting orders to catch the wind and the destination of a little island littered with Mayan ruins if Thomas remembered correctly.

Thomas looked over to his sister who shrugged and walked back to the helm to bring the _Queen Rogue_ to port and make the proper repairs needed. Thomas walked the ship to take note of the damages taken. Aside from the obvious hull damage, numerous rails and part of the forward mast would need repairs (the crew already working on a makeshift patch job of the mast). Several pieces of their cargo was destroyed during the bombardment and were tossed overboard having no use for them anymore aside from tinder.

All in all, a heavy cost to repair her but Thomas supposed he should be thankful that the _Queen Rogue_ wasn't sitting at the bottom of the ocean since that was what those bounty hunters intended to do. Now they just had to find out _who_ put the bounty on their heads, but if Thomas had a guess he would think it was Lucia Márquez having discovered they were still alive.

They made it to Havana and paid for the necessary repairs needed and sold what goods they could get away with selling; mostly sugar, rum and tobacco, but a few pieces of silver also sold to buyers uncaring of their origins and believing their story of being 'honest merchants'. Honest thieves were more like it, but that was beside the point. For now, they had their ship to repair and a deal to settle before they would begin their hunt for Márquez.


	3. Divided

Dymond: Chapter 3! Hurrah! Enjoy! Review, favorite, follow! I suck at writing accents, but I'm going off of listening to my grandfather speak since he's full-blooded Irish and has the thick accent. I see him almost every day to listen to him rattle off about the 'good ol' days' in the nursing home so that's where I decided to make the twins Irish. He'll be discharged soon, only there for a short time after a surgery. And he seems to have an aversion to the 'th' sound, so it always sounds like 'd'ing' when he's saying thing.

So you know the drill, rate, review, favorite and whatnot because it makes Dymond happy. Especially if you review. You get kudos if you review. EVEN YOU MY DEAR LOVE FOX FAMILIAR! YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME IN MY BLASPHEMOUS HOUSE OF ILL INTENT AND INACCURACIES! I LOVE YOU AS WELL NIGHTLYROWANTREE! HERE IS THE UPDATE YOU ASKED FOR!

Tommy my boy, you are always loved me and you know it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Avast ye landlubbers!)

"Blast these Templ'rs to wence they came!" Leliana cursed leaning exhausted against one of the 24-pounder cannons, still warm from cannon fire. Her pistol was still gripped in her hand, still cocked and ready to blast a hole through _someone. _It was almost humorous how most of the gunners gave the angry woman a wide berth.

Thomas glanced back at the burning wreckage of the bounty hunter ship that they managed to take out with several well placed mortars and a broadside and the ship that they were supposed to take as a prize. The two ships were slowly sinking below the waves, the twins not caring for any supplies or loot that _may _have been aboard now. It was another bait ship paid by the Templars to be raided by the twins who would fall into the trap set and would either be arrested and hung or go down with their ship.

Either way, the twins were at their wits end, avoiding most ships by any islands and sticking to open water, but its open water that they have their problems in maintaining any sort of stealth. Even with the _Queen_ _Rogue_ stained black, any competent night watch could hear the flutter of sails or the splashing of a ship hull against rocking waves.

"We're not gettin' anyt'ing 'til we get the Templ'rs off our backs," Thomas said, handing the helm to Shanks and walking down the stairs to join his sister.

"Don't tell me you're thinkin' of wha' Kenway said?"

Thomas shrugged and leaned against the cannon besides his twin. "We're on our own out 'ere. The Templ'rs got us tagged an' knows who ta look fer now. They know our patterns."

"What we need," Leliana hissed angrily, "is ta get this bounty off our backs. Blast Kenway an' blast the Assassins. We're _fine_." She stormed away from him.

Thomas gave chase. "Ya can't honestly believe that? Are you just goin' ta go up against the entirety of the Templ'rs, slit one throat an' hope that the bounty is gone? Lily, we've been nearly blown out of the water _twice_ now wit' no rewards to show for it. Only you an' yer damn pride is keepin' ya from seein' it."

She threw open the doors to their cabin so hard that the numerous priceless paintings they had hanging on the wall rattled and one fell off. She whirled on him with a finger pointed accusingly in his face. "If _you_ seem keen on runnin' to the Assassins – why don't ye just go join up then? Leave the Guild."

Thomas groaned loudly and rolled his eyes. "In case ye haven't realized it, Leliana, _the Thieves Guild is_ _no more_! La Volpe's dead at the 'ands of the Templ'rs. Me, you an' Shanks are the only ones left. We're not even true thieves anymore! We're pirates! Wanted by the Crown! We've bribed e'ery official we could but the Templ'rs still hunt us. We need help." A loud crack echoed across the cabin. Thomas held his cheek where Leliana had slapped him, her face twisted with a look of pure fury. "Fine," Thomas hissed exiting the cabin and slamming the door behind him just as hard as his sister had if not harder.

He stood beside Shanks and leaned on the nearby railing while Shanks kept mostly silent since he and most of the crew of the _Queen Rogue_ had heard the rather loud argument. "The bo'sun's come down with something," Shanks reported.

"Which one?"

"Carlson."

"Probably the clap from the last time we made port," Thomas smirked, his mood slightly better.

Chuckles erupted but both men, laughing at the bo'sun's misery no doubt being seen by their onboard surgeon Cavanaugh, stolen from a merchant ship they took for one of their cabin boys when he was shot and still hanging on to life. The Ryans were not cruel captains to just let members of their crew die – bad for moral – so Cavanaugh became a member of the _Queen Rogue_ (or else). That cabin boy eventually became a gunner that worked one of the swivel guns.

"We're nearing the waters of Kingston," Shanks said after their chuckles settled.

Thomas looked up at the larger man and said, "Gettin' Lily ta help is out of the question now."

Shanks clapped the young man on the shoulder and offered, "I'll watch over Miss Lily. You do what ye promised to Kenway."

* * *

Kingston bustled with activity – merchants selling their wares, travelers complaining about pirates and business deals either starting up or concluding in various languages. He grimaced when he noticed a man bringing a few slaves secured in a row with ropes to another who handed him a heavy sack of coins, taking the rope from the slaver. Thomas never quite had the stomach to see good people getting sold like possessions.

The youngest, a boy no older than 6, started to cry only to be met with a switch to the back. It almost made him visualize being given to the workhouse master, but even then he wasn't a slave. He was given a small meager wage, given a place to sleep and food that didn't make him sick. He lived better than those slaves did. It was his apt for destruction and rebellion that got him the whip and denied meals.

This town made him sick more than Nassau did and Nassau was a cesspool.

He wandered his way to a local tavern and ordered a tankard of something strong from the beautiful bar wench that approached him to take his order. People, King's Navy men and pirates alike passed him, unknowingly passing by a payday if anyone had heard of the bounty on his and his sister's head. Get one and the other would come running, he knew that was their weakness. It was something to take and hang one of their crewmembers, but take family and that became a whole different ball game.

Scanning the crowd, it was easy to locate Adéwalé, being the only black man seen for a few hundred yards not connected to ropes or chains. Tossing a few coins on the table, Thomas meandered his way over and said aloud, "So, Kingston issa nice town."

Adé greeted him with a, "Captain Ryan."

"Thomas, please." Adéwalé nodded and crossed his arms. "Where's Kenway?"

"Right 'ere, mate," Kenway greeted, clapping him on the shoulder. "Where's your sister?"

Thomas shook his head. "She won't be joinin' us."

Kenway shrugged easily like it was no skin off his back. He jerked his chin at a pair of men conversing quietly to each other. "Prins and Torres." Thomas nodded committing the men's faces to memory. "Here's how it goes. Torres meets with Prins carrying a portion of the ransom, saying the rest is close behind," He explained to Thomas and Adéwalé. "When we see the Sage, you bring in the rest of the gold, make the swap and get out. I'll be watching close by."

Adé shook his head. "No, Kenway. You run this scheme alone, at the risk of losing the faith of your crew. It makes me ill to think of you bartering with that wretched slaver."

Thomas nodded and asked, "I thought ye said Prins could lead me ta Márquez."

"Come on, mates. Once we have the Sage, we'll all be rich!"

"Who the 'ell is the Sage?" Thomas demanded, shoving Kenway's shoulder to get some sort of answer out of the Welshman.

"What's it matter? The Sage is someone who could lead us to the biggest pay day of our lives!"

"Not if young Master Kidd gets to him first," Adé said slowly, his gaze fixated on someone.

"Kidd?" Kenway turned around to where Adé was looking and spotted Kidd glaring at Prins and Torres. "Jaysus, that Lad's here to kill him." Kenway took off after James Kidd and from the looks of it he had succeeded in staying the boy's blade.

"Interesting captain you got there, Adé," Thomas commented, folding his hands behind his back.

The former slave shrugged and wondered off leaving the thief alone with his thoughts. He supposed he should follow Kenway and Kidd, but three was too much company to tail someone like Prins, especially someone in the slave trade. Most had to be careful lest they get their throats cut and 'product' stolen. Slavers did not take kindly to one another.

This 'Sage' fellow though… Thomas opted to think like most of the slavers he encountered. Most never kept their merchandise close at hand or else they'd be stolen. All transactions were paid in full up front and then they would retrieve the slaves from where they were keeping them. Prins was no different. Thomas glanced up the hilly layout that made up Kingston to see the looks of a manor peaking up over the treetops. Prins lived like a King in Kingston.

Stuffing his hands in his long coat pockets, he made his way towards Prins' plantation.

Prins' plantations were like most: filled with plots of sugar cane and plenty of slaves to do the manual labor – many born into it from the kid he could see from his treetop post. His issue would be getting past the gate guards since the walls were high and spiked to keep people like him out. There wasn't even a tree he could jump across from, all having been cut down. Prins was good, he'd give him that. The store house was also an interesting matter that he would keep in mind when his sister decided she didn't want to chop his balls off with a meat cleaver.

He heard a colorful splurge of words come from someone he recognized. Kidd growled out a few more profanities then scaled to the top of the nearby windmill. He looked angry but eventually started to cool off as he waited, probably for Kenway. Thomas sighed and leapt out of his treetop hideaway and made his ascent up the windmill to join the angered Kidd. "You all right, lad?" He asked, taking a seat next to the Assassin.

"More or less. Kenway's a right idjit," He grumbled before relaxing a little. "Why are you here?"

"'Cause Kenway asked me ta be. Well, he asked me an' Lily, but…" He trailed off not wanting to tell Kidd all about his squabble with his sister.

"And so the Thief an' the Assassin work together."

"Fer now."

"Why avoid us?" Kidd dropped after a few moments of silence. "Yer numbers are gone. You said so yerself."

Thomas sighed and pulled his bandana off of his head to card a hand through the dirty blonde locks. "It's not necessarily me. Leliana an' Shanks 'ave a deep inbred hatred fer the Assassins, havin' had years to listen to La Volpe rattle on 'bout 'em. Me: not so much."

"So, you'd be willin' to work with us?"

"Subtly, aye. Leliana already smacked me fer even considerin' it."

They conversation was interrupted by the deft fingers of Kenway coming over the side to haul himself up. "Wouldn't you prefer meeting in a pub?" He grumbled before looking up at the two of them. "Thomas, lad, I was lookin' for ya!"

Thomas gave him a small wave as Kidd shook his head. "I came to Kingston chasing a target. Getting pissed ain't a priority."

Kenway took a seat opposite Thomas and said, "We could work together on this, you know. It's Laurens Prins you're after, and I want his prisoner. Thomas wants Márquez."

"We're after the sage as well, Edward. Careful who you cross."

"May the best man win," Was he only response and Thomas shook his head, being reminded that Edward was a few years his junior at that moment.

"Thomas?" Kidd questioned looking over at him. "You were scooping out the area. What did you see?"

Thomas leaned back and started to gesture to each of the areas he'd point out. "Guards patrollin' the property from end ta end. About t'ree bells that I could see ta alert to trouble. See there?" He quickly pointed them out and the two nodded. "We'll want to disable those before pushin' too far."

"With so many men about," Kidd picked up. "We can't rely on stealth alone. So… I'll do what I can to distract and draw their attention, givin' you a chance to cut 'em down." Kidd whipped out a small blade and slit his thumb open to draw blood, then smeared it on his lips. Thomas took a quick glance over the area before he heard Kidd ask, "Ready?"

Both looked to the lad… Not lad, _lass_. The red of her lips, to her long dark brown hair, to the tattoo that Thomas didn't know she had on her chest – visible only because she pulled her jacket and shirt apart to expose that portion of her chest. Kenway finally asked, "Your name's not James, is it?"

Kidd, or whoever she was, let a prideful smirk cross her lips at the flabbergasted men she sat in between. "Not most days. Come on." She stood up and took a leap off the windmill to land safely in a wagon full of hay below. Kenway pulled up his hood and followed suit. Thomas let out the breath he didn't know he was holding at the cannonball that Kidd had dropped on them. Kidd wasn't a lad, but a lass! He shook his head, retied his bandana on and leapt off after the two to stealthily make his way toward a bell to take it out.

"If you see Prins before I do, kill him and there'll be a bit of coin in it for you. All right?"

Pressing himself to a tree, he let his gaze fall upon his prize. There was a guard with a lantern standing nearby and not far off a few of the juggernauts as he liked to call them. The guard with the lantern started to wander over to where Thomas stood and the Irishman let out a low whistle to alert him. "What the...?" The guard questioned looking around for the source of the noise before deciding that the noise came from the tree where Thomas was hiding.

Before he could even call for help, Thomas whipped around the tree and put the man in a headlock, cutting off his air supply in mere seconds. Once he was sure the man was passed out, Thomas dragged him to where he was standing and leaned him against the trunk so that he'd wake up disoriented and probably with a headache, but unable to remember that he was just choked out by a thief.

A small knife was pulled from his belt and the bell disabled without alerting the two juggernauts nearby.

Kenway tapped him on the shoulder as he rushed past, nearing the gate. The other two must be disabled now, so Thomas followed him, ducking into some overgrown bushes that would easily hide the two from sight. Kidd came from her hiding place and leaned over, pretending to be seriously injured. "Hold!" The gate guard shouted, "Stand your ground!"

"Please, I've been shot! I need aid," Kidd begged, and Thomas could almost clap for the believable act.

"Christ, Thompson, look at her. She's hurt," The guard said to his comrade.

Kidd laid it on thick, "Dreadfully, sir. I'm poorly and faint."

The guards sheathed their weapons and opened the gates. "All right. Take an arm, Lass," Thompson said, grabbing one of her arms to pull it over his shoulders.

"Bless you, lads," Kidd said before shoving Thompson away and stabbing him in the chin with her hidden blade. Her sword was out in an instant and slashing open the second man's throat.

"I think I'm in love," Thomas lightly joked, but he knew he found Kidd beautiful.

Thomas came out from cover and followed Kidd into the mansion to try and find the Sage and Prins. Dispatching the guards inside was easy, but finding that the manor had so many doors threw them off. They kicked in a few, finding empty rooms, but it turned out they didn't need to look for to find the Sage since the Sage found Thomas. He had the piss scared out of him when he kicked in the doors and was met with a well-aimed punch to his stomach followed immediately by another to his temple, effectively knocking him out for a few seconds. He came to long enough to hear Kidd shout toward him and his blurry vision picked out the Sage and Kidd heading for a balcony. "Kidd…" He called out after her, staggering to his feet.

"Heads up, Kenway! I found your man!" She called out to Kenway who was no doubt outside.

"I remember you. The Templar from Havana," The Sage called down. Thomas' vision was still blurry, but he could guess that there was a gun pressed to Kidd's temple, threatening to fire at any wrong move on Kenway's part.

"I'm no Templar, mate! That were just a ruse! We've come to save your arse from this slaver," Kenway explained.

"Save me? I work for Mister Prins."

"Well then he's a poor man to call Master. He meant to sell you out to the Templars.

"Ye can't trust anyone, it seems." Thomas slammed his fist to the back of the Sage's head, giving Kidd enough time to elbow the man in the stomach and escape over the balcony. Thomas followed but not before the Sage fired off a shot that skimmed his bicep.

The bullet flew past him and connected with a bell that Kenway had deactivated, but a bullet bouncing off of it was loud enough to alert the guards.

Thomas gripped his bicep and hissed as blood came from the wound and stained his long coat. He jumped a little when Kidd grabbed his good arm and dragged him towards their escape route. Before he could blink, she had them back at the base of the windmill and was shoving him to sit down on the stairs. She tugged off his long coat and he couldn't help but make the comment, "If ya wanted me ta undress, lass, all ye had to do was ask nicely." She gave him a sly smirk before pressing a piece of bandage to his arm to make him hiss in pain in her own mild form of retaliation.

They glanced up when they saw Kenway emerge from the bushes, sweating and panting from having to run from hoards of guards. "Lost your man again, did you?" Kidd teased, tightening the bandage before standing up fully.

"Aye, Roberts is a Devil with a queer aversion to kindness. I suppose that's two men I've lost today." Thomas stood up and flexed his arm to get used to the bandage. "So… What's your real name, Lass?" Edward asked, giving her a look saying she wasn't going to get out of not telling him anything.

She uncrossed her arms and answered, "Mary Read to my mum. And them I call friends." She swaggered closer to Kenway until they heard the light hiss of her hidden blade extending and she had it dangerously close to his manhood. "But not a word of it to anyone. Or I'll unman the both of you as well."

She winked at him and Thomas before taking the thief's arm and pulling him off with her. "We've got much to discuss."


End file.
